Manufacturing processes that produce metal components commonly leave burrs on various surfaces and edges of the metal component. Burrs are a protruding, ragged metal edge raised on the surface of the metal component. Drilling, boring, and cutting are common manufacturing processes that create burrs. It is highly desirable to remove the burrs from the metal components to enable them to fit and function correctly. Additionally, the visual appearance of the manufactured components is improved by removing any burrs.
Devices and processes to finish metal components by removing the burrs are well known and exist in many varieties. Barrel finishing or tumbling is one method of deburring components. Components to be finished are placed in a vibrating or rotating drum along with an abrasive medium. Typically, this abrasive medium consists of water or oil mixed with a chemical detergent. As the barrel oscillates, the abrasive medium grinds the unwanted burrs away.
Abrasive media flow deburring machines are used to deburr internal surfaces of manufactured components. The component is held in a fixed position within the machine. An abrasive medium is forced though the component, thereby deburring the component's internal surfaces.
These two processes outlined above are effective for deburring large numbers of parts in an industrial manufacturing process prior to assembly. Small tools and devices for deburring individual components by hand are also well known and exist in many varieties. A motorized tool having an aluminum oxide or hardened steel grinding bit is frequently used as a handheld deburring tool. Alternatively, conventional files are commonly used to deburr components. These deburring tools are rigid implements. The construction and assembly of complicated mechanisms presents serious problems in the use of the currently available deburring tools owing to the narrow and convoluted passages often available for these rigid deburring tools to reach the burrs.
In the present state of the art, it is not possible to deform the configuration of the existing rigid deburring tools in order to allow the device to position and operate the deburring bit in difficult to reach locations on a complex component. It is therefore desirable to have a handheld deburring tool that is can reach and function in the difficult to reach places and deburr the component.
Handheld tools that are provided with flexible shafts are well known and exist in many varieties. Nasiell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,913 discloses a flexible handheld tool that is designed to grasp nuts and place and attach them in inconvenient positions. The nuts are grasped by the end of a flexible shaft that is secured to a handle. A handheld surgical implement is disclosed in Wortrich, U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,421. This patent teaches a surgical implement that is provided with a flexible shaft attached to a handle portion. The flexible shaft holds and positions "thumb tacks" during surgery. Donaldson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,507,990, discloses a screwdriver that is provided with a flexible shaft. The flexible shaft is constructed from an outer shaft, or sleeve, of a helically wound strip of metal. The inner shaft, or drive shaft, is constructed from a tightly wound helical coil. Thus the drive shaft is able to rotate independently within the outer protective sleeve. A flexible screwdriver that uses a series of links to provide flexibility along a single plane is disclosed in Rentchler, U.S. Pat. No. 1,454,789.
The present state of the art does not address the problem of how to place a deburring bit in a difficult to reach position and deburr the component. While the use of flexible shafts for various handheld tools is well known and exists in many varieties, the present state of the art does not teach the use of a flexible shaft to position and operate the deburring bit in difficult to reach positions on complex components.